Any advice on VA benefits for the widow of a veteran who must now go to a nursing home?
My mom, 94, has to go to a residential home since she is no longer able to live alone, plus she has developed some health issues that need full time care. She has social security and makes a bit from an IRA that sends her money every 3 months. The IRA is in a living trust that goes to me upon her death. That is her only income. She does not own her house, she helped to purchase it but it is on our property and in our name, although we have all our names on the tax bill. She had money set aside to will to her grandson and we have that in a credit union that is in our name. I understand there may be some benefits that she might qualify for to help her with the costs of the nursing home. Not sure if they need to exhaust all of her assets first, which is something I would rather they not do. She has Medicare and triCare for life for insurance. Please help guide me through what might be available for her.
Here is a link to an Aging Care article on the topic of VA Aid & Attendance benefits for wartime vets and or spouses. You'd need to check with your local VA office to see if your husband qualified, and if you qualify now, financially.
Good luck.
Best wishes to you and your mom.
I just learned that her late second husband served in Korea. He died in 1985 at age 63 after paralysis from a stroke but appears never filed for VA benefits for himself. I just filed a notice of intent to claim benefits for granny with the VA. I checked pension and the SURVIVORS PENSION AND/OR DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COMPENSATION.
When I called the VA to start the process, I was told that they didn’t have the husband’s service number nor details regarding his service so I filed a request at the national archives to find his records. Meanwhile a retired military friend found the years of service in the Air Force.
My questions are:
1. How long does the process take?
a. To get military service records
b. To get benefits
2. Does granny get a pension and what other benefits?
3. What is covered by other benefits and are there limits? I understand in-home care is covered, correct?
4. Would a survivors pension be retroactive to the date of retirement eligibility?
5. How do I expedite? She’s 100 years old and will need major support in less than 1 year (sooner to prevent bad decisions by panicked family worried about the expenses they need to take on as we get to $0 savings in Granny’s account)
Granny is currently in an independent living facility with “live in” care takers who sleep in her apartment. I set MediCal early this year and applied last month for in home supportive services via medical once she spent down to $130,000 which the social worker told me was the threshold for receiving help to pay for the care takers. We also got an order from her doctor to receive free incontinence supplies paid by Medicare.
What else should I be doing?
Agata
In my State when a persons name is on a tax bill its on the deed too.
Using her money to help buy a house, putting the IRA in a trust and putting money aside for grandson all needed to be done over 5 years before her applying for Medicaid. Otherwise its hiding assets from Medicaid. But I would think all of this was done way before since Mom is 94.
You need to call up your County VA dept to see what Mom is entitled to. You will need Dads discharge papers.
I started submitting application to the VA on my own back in 2021 and was finally turned down because I couldn't get all of their paperwork requirements sent into them within the time frame that they demanded. It was nuts. The VA insisted I have doctor exam twice along with piles of documents to fill out with instructions written by a lunatic.
I turned to Patriot Angels in February this year. Patriot Angels submitted my mother's claim on April 1, 2023 and as of last week, we are still waiting on the VA to make a decision. My mother is 96 years old now, but nothing has been accelerated to my knowledge.
She needs to call her County VA office to see what they maybe entitled to. A rep may come to their home.
You will need Social Security Letter
Bank Statements for last 3 months
proof of income for year
Marriage certificate - certified copy
DD214 if you have it.
Military person's SSN
May need the deed to house or mortgage statements.
the total of assets I think are $135,000. but I am not for sure on this.
This is just a general list. It may be more or less.
With these things the VA rep will fill out the 2680 for you and submit.
The top amount on the award .. I think is $1100?? cannot remember. I am in the middle of doing this for my mom as well.
On top of all the other advice offered. Just seems like if she needs help funding care why not use her money she has gifted or set aside for others to help provide care for her.
My mom's benefits were retroactive to about the month that my dad died; but I don't remember if there was a certain period of time in which the application had to be initiated after his death. The paperwork would have been impossible for us to do correctly on our own, and the Commission doesn't charge clients anything for their work. It was a slow process, but it worked.
If your mom qualifies for Aid and Assistance, her monthly benefit will be higher. A doctor has to do an exam and fill out paperwork for that application; my mom's doctor (a geriatrician) had a home visit done for that, since Mom was housebound and couldn't get to his office.
Mom had no financial assets other than bank accounts - no car, no house. We thought her middle-class pension income would disqualify her, but it didn't, because she has a Personal Caregiving contract with us, and her monthly payment to us was deducted from her monthly income. That brought it down enough that she qualified. I think that any other private caregiving that she paid for would have also been deducted from her income, as would certain medical expenses.
There is no reporting required as to how she spends her monthly benefit; it can go for whatever she needs. VA does have to be notified if her income should increase, and a form has to be filed by the VSO every 2 years; and the income is reported in her yearly income tax filing, I think, but no taxes actually paid on it, at least in her case.
I used to know a lot more details, but now they've faded. We're focused on living one day at a time now.